Time For Microsoft To Pull up Their Socks: Still Not Too Late

There was a time when people considered Microsoft to be a true contender in the mobile market. Just four years ago, some analysts predicted that Windows Phone would leapfrog BlackBerry and iOS to claim the number two spot behind Android.

Microsoft has Android as its biggest competitor in the market and faces constant competition from iOS and Blackberry also. It has been a long time since we've seen the company lost in it's own wilderness and not taking the competition from their competitors seriously.

Well, it's time for Microsoft to make a comeback. The company has a vision for future and has proved it by their upcoming Windows 10 and products like HoloLens.

The mobile segment of the organization is still lagging behing while others have made a considerable amount of progress. The devices from Microsoft still fail to pack the punch that is required to capture a decent share of the mobile market.

"When people say, 'My life is on my smartphone,' they're not lying. Considering the power the smartphone has on people, it's important for Microsoft to play there," said Ramon Llamas, analyst at IDC. "And Microsoft has unique assets to bring to this space."

IT analysts say that its still not very long and Microsoft can come back and make a good recovery.

These are the 5 cardinal things the company must do.

Stay tuned to GizBot for more updates!

Must Do's For Microsoft

The high-end tech firm till date hasn't shown any interest in launching a high end device for it's customers. The company must take note of this and try to build a product that will satisfy the buyers who are willing to pay the big bucks for high-end devices.

Microsoft claims that they will begin prototyping and building such a product after they successfully launch Windows 10 this summer.

Must Do's For Microsoft

Windows 10 will work across PCs, smartphones, wearables and tablets, the company says. Microsoft will let developers write apps for one version of Windows 10 and move them to other versions with little work. In addition, Windows 10 will make it easy for developers to bring their older Windows apps into the Windows 10 ecosystem.

Microsoft must make most of this opportunity and get windows across as many platforms as possible.

Windows 10 needs to do three things: It has to do what it says on the tin, so to speak, it has to create that continuity for developers, and it has to go forth and multiply," said John Jackson, analyst at IDC. In other words, a more uniform and congruent cross-platform experience could reinstate users' faith in the Windows ecosystem and create an uptick in devices sold.

Must Do's For Microsoft

Though Microsoft's Windows Phone continues to struggle, experts project that its market share will creep higher. From 2013 to 2014, Windows Phone grew 4.2 percent to grab 2.7 percent of the market, according to IDC, which predicts that by 2018, the OS will control 5.6 percent of the market.

o expand its Windows Phone market share, Microsoft needs to shift its focus to enterprise customers, Llamas said. Microsoft has been touting how great Windows Phone devices are for consumers, but there are business users with very specific needs, wants and demands that Microsoft can serve.

Must Do's For Microsoft

Microsoft acquired Nokia for &dollar;7.2bn but Satya Nadella failed to critisize his predecessors vision of "devices and services". Instead Nadella has carried out "a strategic alignment" related to Nokia that has involved cutting about 12,500 jobs and closing plants in Europe and Asia.

The hardware business, for everybody but Apple at this stage, has become what you'd expect. It's a business with inherently low margins, even for Samsung.

Sources suggest that Nadella might just end up selling the Nokia unit purchased by Microsoft.

Must Do's For Microsoft

To attract more uses to buy Windows based handsets the company needs to make sure that they have a more robust selection of applications. It aims to let developers build one application that will work on PCs, tablets, smartphones and even the Xbox, which could make building compelling apps for the mobile version of Windows 10 easier. But that's a tall order, and experts aren't convinced it will deliver.

Microsoft says it remains committed to growing its application marketplace to attract more users. Both active users and downloads increased in 2014. MIcrosoft seesm to be slogging behind in these aspects.